CD Reviews

From The Gut

Patrick T. Grady | Palatine, IL | 07/24/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I've noticed that when it comes to talking about Husker Du's records, critics tend to label the "Everything Falls Apart" EP as dispensable and if you were gonna look to this for another "Makes No Sense At All" or "Girl Who Lives On Heaven Hill", then just forget about it. But if you're looking for a dose of decent to great midwestern hardcore punk, you've come to the right place. The members of Husker Du may try to down play their origins now, but when they started they were a pretty good hardcore punk act and that's how they caught the attention of SST Records and if they weren't on SST they quite possibly would have faded into obscurity in Minnesota. This disc is actually a combination of the "Everything Falls Apart" EP (originally released on the band's Reflex label), the "In A Free Land" EP (originally on the Minutemen's New Alliance imprint) and the group's debut 7" (again, on Reflex), along with a couple unreleased songs from their early days. The only song on here that might give an indication of where the band was heading is "Everything Falls Apart". The two unreleased tracks, Greg Norton's "Let's Go Die" and Bob Mould's "Do You Remember?" are great. Beyond that, you got some great songs, like "In A Free Land" and "Everything Falls Apart", and handful of decent to good ones, and some you might end up skipping over, particularly the songs from the first single. "Statues" starts out ok, but then goes on forever and "Amusement" just didn't leave much of an impression with me.
The packaging is also very nice. Besides recording and discography details for music on the disc, it also features liner notes from Terry Katzman, the group's early soundman and partner in Reflex Records.
Perhaps not an essential disc, it'll still make an excellent addition to any punk rock CD collection."

Since when did indie and punk become so differrent?

C. Chambers | Greensboro, NC USA | 09/07/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"i find it very funny that so many husker du fans call the early stuff unlistenable, sloppy, or amateur. first off, as with all young freshly started punk/hardcore bands in the beginning of the 80's, they were sloppy and intense. when you're new to your instrument and you play that fast you will be sloppy...and that's the beauty of it. but what separates this from the other 80's american hardcore is that the music and especially the lyrics have far more heart and brains behind them than just angry young men barking out mindless violence. and here they are flirting with the melodies that would build them such a loyal following, and remember that melody was a big no-no in hardcore. they did it their own way and no one was going to tell them any different.i love all of husker du's indie label stuff (i don't mean to sound like an indie snob here, but it sounds to me like warner de-clawed them before letting them record) and the early years are probably my favorite. not every song on this is great, but there are many amazing ones, but all are played with such conviction, heart, and thought that i can't help but still love it all.this is indie rock and it's hardcore. the bands that are called indie now are anything but. none are DIY, yet call themselves indie. if you are fed up by today's "indie" i highly recommmend this. it's like a breath of fresh air. if you want to learn more, get the book, "our band could be your life," immediately."

A faster,simplier , and harder HUSKER DU

jacktheidiotdunce | Racine,WI | 10/01/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Husker Du's first studio mini album, two singles, and unreleased stuff are the contents on this CD. I really enjoy it now, but it's not as good as the later stuff Husker Du did after "Zen Arcade". Instead of the pop filled Husker Du we hear on "Flip your wig", we hear an energy filled hardcore band that will make the blood rush to your head. "Punch Drunk" and "Bricklayer" are prime examples of what I'm talking about. Yet, there are some normal songs like "In a free land" and the eight minute "Statues". I really dig this album a lot, but it's no where near Husker Du's best. If you're looking for a hardcore album you may like to check this out."

"If you are curious about Husker Du, I would recommend buying "Metal Circus" or anything recorded after that. However, if you are interested in the band's formative years, this collection should satisfy. It basically consists of better-than-average ("From The Gut", "Blah, Blah, Blah", "In A Free Land", "Everything Falls Apart"), average ("Wheels", "Target", "Let's Go Die"), and totally forgetable ("Punch Drunk", "Bricklayer", "Statues") early-eighties hardcore. By the time "Zen Arcade" was recorded, Bob and Grant had matured considerably as songwriters. However, even if Husker Du's later material far outdistances the music on this collection, it's still worth adding to your collection, in my opinion."

Oof, too bad

Jay Thompson | seattle | 07/03/2000

(2 out of 5 stars)

"I didn't listen to my friends who warned me about this record. "It's just *too* hard," they said, "You won't like it." They were right.I like hardcore. I love Minor Threat's "Complete Discography" and Black Flag's "Damaged," and I liked HuDu's "Metal Circus" somewhat, too. But this record is just nutzoid, is a bad way. The recording quality is pretty crummy, and the songs are just minute-and-a-half (sometimes 2 minutes, sometimes 30 sec's) drills of thin warble and harsh screaming.The best songs on here have actual grooves -- I'll admit that "In a Free Land" and "Everything Falls Apart" rule (although "Land" is better on the Living End live album) and that "Signals From Above" and "Do You Remember?" are ferocious but memorable.But honestly. "Punch Drunk" and "Bricklayer" go at about 350 bpm and are utterly incomprehensible screaming rants. Most of the rest falls into a simple, clunky, rutting groove with dumb lyrics howled at the top of the band's voice. My advice? Borrow it from a friend and make a tape or something."